The murder of women or ‘femicide’ was one of the issues taken up by the 2018 Women’s March in Jakarta on Saturday March 3.

Viva democracy and equality!

March 8, 2018, is exactly 118 years since the Women’s Conference in Denmark which set March 8 as International Women’s Day (IWD).

Bekasi – The Populist Democratic Trade Union (Serikat Buruh Demokratik Kerakyatan, SEDAR) held a mass meeting attended by more than 400 members on Sunday March 4. The meeting was held to prepare for International Women’s Day (IWD) which falls on March 8.

Ahmad Syarifudin, Yogya – Hundreds of students held a protest action at the Pal Putih Monument in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on the afternoon of Sunday December 10 to commemorate International Human Rights Day.

Moh Jumri, Jakarta – The Indonesia Student Union (SMI) held an action at the Ministry of Tertiary Education and Technology Research (Kemenristek-Dikti) in Jakarta on Monday October 23.

On Tuesday August 22 scores of protesters from the Anti-Militarism-Seize Democracy Student Front (FAMRED) launched an action in front of the Yogyakarta State University (UNY) Sports Building (GOR) in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta.

Paniai, Jubi – Hundreds of West Papua National Committee (KNPB) activists in Nabire, West Papua, have reportedly being arrested by the Nabire district police and are now being held by the Nabarua sectoral police.

Ihsan Dalimunthe – Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affairs (menkopolhukam) Wiranto insists that the government will no longer be carefree about deviant ideologies coming onto campuses in Indonesia.

Arbi Sumandoyo – “Jakarta is filthy. We have to be macho. Jakarta is filthy. It must be cleaned up... must be cleaned up”, shouted a speaker through a loudspeaker from a command vehicle on May Day in front of the Jakarta City Hall.

“So make a pile. All in one place. We’ll clean the City Hall of these unclear messages...”

Sukoharjo (Okezone) – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo says that politics and religion should be connected in the right context, not be totally separated.

Ternate – Police claim that demands raised by the Pro-Democracy Social Movement (Gema Pro-Demkrat) during a rally in Ternate, North Maluku to commemorate Youth Pledge Day on October 28 were an act of treason.

Jakarta – Using the momentum of Youth Pledge Day on Friday October 28, the Student Struggle Center for National Liberation (Pembebasan) held commemorations to mark the historic day in Jakarta and other cities around the country.

Jakarta action

Melbourne – Gadjah Mada University (UGM) historian Dr Abdul Wahid has put forward a hypothesis that intellectual genocide occurred in Indonesian tertiary education institutions following the 1965 affair.

This was marked with the dismissal and exclusion of thousands of lecturers and students who were accused of being leftist.

Prima Gumilang, Jakarta – The Internationale was sung at the close of a commemoration of International Labour Day or May Day in Jakarta. Thousands of workers from the Indonesian Trade Union Congress Alliance (KASBI) sang the song which was popularised by followers of socialism in the 19th century.

The Indonesian People’s Center of Struggle (PPRI) has re-launched the Women’s Struggle Committee of the People (KPPR, Komite Perjuangan Perempuan Rakyat), which had begun to die down over the last few years, to coincide with the momemntum of commemorating International Women’s Day (IWD) which for the last 100 years has been commemorated on March

Makassar – In commemorating May Day 2015, a number of different organisations from the group People’s Solidarity (SORAK) held a peaceful rally underneath the Jl. Jenderal Urip Sumoharjo overpass in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar on Friday May 1.

Andri Yunarko, Jakarta – On Monday April 27 the Indonesian People’s United Resistance (PPRI) held a press conference at the offices of the Jakarta Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) to declare its position on the commemoration of International Labour Day or M

Mochammad Arifin, Cikarang – A day after the government announced an increase in fuel (BBM) prices, on Tuesday November 18 around 200 workers held a long-march from Gate 10 in the Jababeka 2 area of South Cikarang to the Bekasi regent’s office.

Arif Wicaksono, Jakarta – Labour organisations are proposing the establishment of an alternative political party that would take up pro-people programs for the Indonesian nation. Up until now, there has been no political party that has been capable of providing welfare for the ordinary Indonesian people.

Sherr Rinn – Between 2010-12 there was an awakening of the Indonesian labour movement that can be seen in the writings of people such as Danial Indrakusuma, Rahmat, Tarikh, Hidayah and Rekomendasi.